Generally speaking the present invention relates to a timing mechanism comprising a motor and a gear train connected to the motor to be driven thereby, a first housing enclosing the gear train, a cup shaped second housing carried by the first housing at an open end thereof, an electrically insulative member closing the open end, an output member of the gear train extending through an opening in the insulative member into the cup shaped member, at least one cam lobe carried by the output member, and electrical switch means carried in the cup shaped member and responsive to the cam lobe.
The present invention pertains to a timing mechanism and more particularly to a timing mechanism wherein an output member of a gear train also serves as a cam for the timing mechanism.
Timing mechanisms have been used for many years in the appliance industry to control the sequence of operation of an appliance such as a washer. In some appliances such as dryers and microwave ovens, there needs to be short cycles or pulses of operation within an overall program. Therefore, in addition to the main timing mechanism there are applications where smaller timing mechanisms are used to provide a pulsing cycle within the overall timing mechanism. These timing mechanisms are usually very small with a minimum number of parts. As such the timing mechanism needs to be as small as possible with a minimum number of parts. The timing mechanism of the present invention will adequately provide this objective.